Push and Pull: Perfect Match
by furryewokazon
Summary: Brittany has something special planned for Santana to make a new lasting memory (a future glimpse into the Push and Pull Verse, with flashbacks to their childhood)


_Santana sat by her bedroom window staring blankly out at the street below. Brittany's mother had just pulled up outside her house in the Pierce's family car. It was time._

_"San?"_

_Santana heard her loud and clear but pretended that she didn't. _

_"Santana?"_

_Brittany's small voice wavered unsurely from the doorway. _

_Santana sighed and finally acknowledged her presence, despite her best attempts to ignore her. _

_But she could never **really** ignore Brittany._

_"Yeah?" Santana answered, trying to sound as disinterested as possible. She didn't even turn to look at her. _

_Santana heard Brittany's disappointed exhale and it clutched at her chest with guilt. _

_"I… I have to go now…"_

_Santana forced a shrug._

_"Cool," She answered absently, her eyes trained on the slowly disappearing light outside her window; a clear reminder that her precious remaining time with Brittany was running out._

_"Oh."_

_Now Brittany's disappointment was obvious. Santana heard her hesitate as she turned to leave only to turn back towards the room and step cautiously inside. _

_"Can I- can I have a hug before I go?"_

_Santana winced at how very small Brittany sounded. _

_She hated that she was making Brittany feel so insecure- it felt like every fibre in her body was telling her to stop and give Brittany what she wanted. And she knew she would._

_But she didn't have to be happy about it. _

_She wasn't happy about what was going down so why would she pretend that she was?_

_Brittany should have to know her disappointment too sometimes. _

_"Please San… I - I'm a little scared…"_

_That pushed Santana beyond the point of no return and she spun around on her perch with tears brimming in her eyes._

_"Then don't go!"_

_Santana meant to sound dismissive but it only came out sounding raw and desperate._

_Brittany startled at Santana's unexpected emotion and as much as it pained her to see her best friend upset she knew Santana was only acting out because she was being selfish about the entire situation._

_"You know I actually want to go," Brittany spoke up for herself even though her voice started to quiver with emotion too. "You just don't want me to!"_

_Santana gave an exaggerated scoff and spun back around to glare at the scene outside. It was getting even darker now and the streetlights had just flickered on. _

_"Then don't complain if you want to go so bad," Santana snarled as she roughly rubbed at her eyes before any tears could fall. She refused to look at Brittany again._

_Brittany squeezed at the strap to her sleepover bag as it hung over her shoulder and across her chest. _

_Santana could feel Brittany staring at the back of her head almost like an itch._

_"You know I asked if you could come too- I did try," Brittany appealed softly. "But it's a sleepover for my dance class only…"_

_"Whatever Brittany," Santana scoffed again as she stubbornly crossed her arms across her chest. "You better go or you'll be late for your precious sleepover."_

_Brittany lingered just inside the doorway, hesitating with indecision. _

_She really, really wanted to go to the sleepover at Rachel's. Even though Rachel could be a little intense at times, all the other girls from her dance class were going to be there. She didn't want to be the only one who missed out. She had been so excited to go…_

_Besides, it wasn't Brittany's fault that Santana had chosen to give up dance class last year when she realised that it was okay that her interests differed from Brittany's even when they were imprinted. _

_Brittany shook her head; she knew she had every right to attend the sleepover if she wanted to. Just because they were imprinted it didn't mean that she and Santana had to do __**everything**__ together. _

_She was just a little nervous about spending the night away from Santana. _

_It would be the first time she ever had. _

_No doubt that was why Santana was so clearly objecting to the idea._

_Brittany understood that Santana was just scared too. _

_"I'll be back in the morning," Brittany said far more calmly, knowing Santana would be listening even if she was pretending she that wasn't. "I'm going to miss you."_

_Brittany slowly walked up to Santana's side and leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on top of Santana's head. When Santana didn't respond, Brittany sighed and slowly walked out of the room with a glance back over her shoulder at the girl sitting unmoving by the window._

* * *

"Can I look yet?" Santana whined as she gripped Brittany's forearms and allowed herself to be directed by Brittany wherever it was they were going. "We've been walking forever!"

Her complaints were half-hearted though and Brittany fully knew it- since Brittany had seemingly forgotten to bring a blindfold and was forced to shuffle along behind Santana, holding her hands up over Santana's eyes to ensure the shorter girl didn't peek and ruin the surprise.

Brittany stepped even closer allowing her front to brush up against Santana's back as they shuffled along at a snail's pace and felt Santana's cheeks tightening under her hands with a delighted smile at her mate's close proximity.

"Almost there," Brittany chortled for what had to have been the third time in the space of minutes.

"You said that last time," Santana grumbled in a play at sounding sullen.

In truth there was nowhere Santana would rather be than in Brittany's arms as she was now.

"Well maybe if we were able to walk a little faster we'd have got there sooner," Brittany supplied in a no-nonsense way, "If you promise not to open your eyes I could lead you there a faster…?"

Santana shook her head lightly as her hands dropped and reached back around her to grip cheekily at the curve of Brittany's ass and pull her flush against her. She casually leaned back into Brittany's surrounding embrace, barely continuing to move forward bar for one small step at a time.

"Nope, I'm good," Santana dismissed the offer rebelliously with a cheesy grin aimed at Brittany even though the movement was a little awkward in their present position.

"Then stop fussing," Brittany hushed as she playfully jutted her hips into Santana's backside to bump her along. "I thought you were supposed to be the fastest girl on the track team… I find that a little hard to believe with the way those little legs are moving now."

That jibe firmly stopped Santana in her tracks and no amount of nudging from Brittany against her bottom could get her to keep moving.

"_Sant-an-aaa…"_

It was Brittany's turn to whine in frustration as Santana stood still and refused to budge even an inch.

"You weren't complaining about the way my _'little legs'_ were moving last night," Santana defended herself brazenly.

Brittany gasped at Santana's defensive spunk and then giggled, finding no possible argument against her statement. Santana had indeed made a remarkable show of _flexibility_ the previous evening within the privacy of their bedroom.

"I do love your little legs," Brittany cooed sweetly into Santana's ear.

"They're not _that_ little," Santana huffed stubbornly, trying to ignore the way Brittany's voice tickled at her ear and made her heart thump that little bit faster in her chest. She knew she was in danger of swooning in Brittany's arms if Brittany was going to keep on talking to her like that…

It was also extremely hard for her to keep a straight face.

Santana made a show of huffing loudly again to keep up the façade that she was still immensely offended by Brittany's teasing and that no amount of sweet talking would soften her up.

Brittany grinned, enjoying their silliness; she knew Santana wasn't really upset with her.

And because she knew that… she knew she could tease Santana a little bit more.

It was all in good fun. And she was going to reap in the benefits when they "made up" afterwards.

"Are too…" Brittany insisted and felt Santana stiffen in surprise- clearly having thought that Brittany would've given in and apologised. "So little in fact, that even I- an ex-cheerleader turned lazy slob- know that I could still easily outrun you."

"_Ah- hell to the nawhh_," Santana exclaimed in clear rebuttal to that proposal, effectively sending Brittany into a fit of giggles.

"You've been spending too much time with Mercedes," Brittany snorted, finding Santana particularly funny in her current mood.

She loved it when Santana did something that could make her look both goofy and adorable at the exact same time- in this case her mimicking of Mercedes' well known catch phrase complete with the full brunt of the diva's attitude- something that would never have rolled off of Santana's tongue before the Glee club's influence in her life.

Brittany couldn't have held back her grin, even if she'd wanted to.

But Santana was having none of that- even though she couldn't see Brittany's amusement she could hear it and _feel_ it; she was trying to make a point and Brittany was laughing at her.

In an unexpected move Santana suddenly spun where she was standing so that she was facing Brittany and jutting out her chin stubbornly. Brittany's hands that had been masking Santana's eyes were pulled free with the motion so Santana continued to stand before Brittany squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

Brittany smiled warmly at that, noting that Santana was still respecting her wishes that their location be kept a secret- even though she was trying to be intimidating and make her point.

Brittany cooed at how adorable Santana was being.

"Okay, okay!" Brittany stepped closer, unable to help herself from giving in as she planted a firm kiss to Santana's stubbornly pouted lips.

Santana hadn't seen the kiss coming and the frown lines on her forehead eased instantaneously with the surprise pressure of Brittany's mouth.

Santana hummed and smiled as Brittany pulled back. She was grinning stupidly with her eyes still closed. Brittany's kiss was still as addictive as ever.

"I guess your legs aren't _that_ little," Brittany conceded softly, almost apologetically- but not without echoing her earlier taunt.

Santana still wasn't going to get off quite so easily simply because Brittany was head over heels in love with her.

"However-"

Brittany drawled playfully as she lazily draped her arms over Santana's shoulders, pulling Santana in close and slowly started to guide her to spin in a circle under Brittany's guidance.

She waited until she'd spun a curious- yet trusting Santana on the spot at least five times before leaning in close to whisper in Santana's ear.

"I bet I could still beat you to the monkey bars," Brittany challenged confidently.

And then Brittany was gone- giggling as she left Santana standing there and made a dash for the familiar playground that was in sight but still a fair ways off.

Santana stumbled now that Brittany was no longer keeping her upright and she immediately whipped her head in the direction that Brittany had disappeared, though she stumbled trying to keep her balance as her eyes were still closed.

"Open your eyes, San!" Brittany called back over her shoulder. "And hurry or I'll beat you there!"

Santana blinked her eyes open and was immediately bombarded with a sense of disorientation- not because she didn't recognise the park where she was standing- but because the spinning had momentarily put her off her balance, just as Brittany had undoubtedly planned; to give her the lead she would need to make beating Santana in a sprint over that distance even remotely possible.

Santana had always enjoyed running- even before she'd first met Brittany those many years ago- and she was good at it. Whether over long distance or a measured sprint, Santana had perfect form and she was strong (yes even for someone so small); something which her developed imprint had undoubtedly aided her natural talent in.

Santana knew that Brittany knew she would be able to catch her even over such a short distance… but not if she stalled much longer- Brittany could run quite fast when she wanted to.

Santana looked around, finding her bearings and focused on Brittany's retreating form headed straight for the climbing structure not too far away.

She stumbled forward unsteadily as she tried to follow in that direction and cursed Brittany's trickery again when she nearly lost her footing.

"Yeah you better run!" Santana threatened with an excited grin; she was enjoying Brittany's game.

It still took a few steps for Santana to find her feet but soon enough she was running after Brittany, steadily gaining speed and closing the gap between herself and the lithely blonde ahead of her.

Brittany chanced a glance back over her shoulder and squealed loudly when she realised how quickly Santana was gaining on her. Brittany's gait faltered excitably and Santana closed the gap between them by another couple of strides.

In a matter of seconds their mad dash had changed from a race to the monkey bars into a hot pursuit.

"San!" Brittany wailed hysterically as she was now scrambling with everything she had to stay ahead of Santana.

Santana chuckled to herself knowing she could catch Brittany if she put everything she had into the chase but instead she held back, staying just on Brittany's heels and making the blonde squeal repeatedly as she barely managed to evade Santana's capture.

It wasn't long before they were both scrambling over the soft mulch that lay below the old play structure and with one final leap Brittany lunged for a bar over her head and tucked her knees up to her chest so that her feet wouldn't drag as she swung wildly from the monkey bar she'd clutched at.

As Brittany swung forward and back Santana arrived behind her and grabbed her securely around the waist, pulling her flush to her body.

"Got you," Santana delivered, barely puffed from the exertion.

Brittany's chest was heaving due to lost breath and continuing laughter.

"You promise?"

Without even giving Santana a chance to answer, Brittany released her hold on the bar overhead and allowed her full weight to fall upon Santana.

Santana was not entirely prepared but braced the both of them as best she could as she fell to the floor cradling most of Brittany's weight with the taller girl landing sprawled on top of her.

Santana lay on the ground staring dazedly up at Brittany who twisted onto her stomach so she could lie fully on top of Santana.

Brittany looked remarkably pleased with herself for putting Santana flat on her back in the dirt.

"This looks familiar," Santana drawled, alluding of course to that time many years ago when Brittany had fallen from the monkey bars only to land on Santana standing at the ready to catch her.

Brittany made herself more comfortable, squirming atop Santana until her hips were cradled suggestively by Santana's own and her thigh slipped familiarly between Santana's legs.

"I don't remember it quite like this," Brittany giggled with a pointed wiggle.

They had both been four years old that first time.

A lot had changed since then.

"Well a lot has changed…" Santana pointed out wisely. "You're heavier."

Brittany gasped in mock offence and Santana lunged up to capture Brittany's mouth in a hard kiss. Brittany hummed in surprise and returned the kiss, melting on top of Santana to pin the smaller girl harder against the ground.

"And you're much softer," Brittany purred tenderly as she pulled back just an inch.

Santana raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you calling me fat?" Santana questioned.

Brittany giggled and shook her head, purposely brushing her nose against Santana's affectionately.

"I was actually talking about your massive boobs," Brittany corrected with a cheeky smirk.

"_Britt_!" Santana cried in disbelief.

Brittany laughed some more and ended Santana's cry with a gentle kiss that left both girls breathless and silent as they basked in each other's company under the setting sun.

"I beat you," Brittany eventually whispered the reminder against Santana's lips.

"Well with my little legs and massive boobs it's no wonder," Santana huffed moodily.

Brittany sent Santana a knowing look.

"I know you let me win," Brittany delivered.

"And why would I want to do that, huh?" Santana bluffed.

"Because you thought that's what I wanted… and you always try to give me exactly what I want," Brittany challenged back.

Santana held her tongue. Brittany spoke the truth.

"But I have a little secret for you-" Brittany spoke on in a low, conspiring voice, "I wanted you to catch me all along."

Santana watched Brittany closely. There was something deep within the sincerity in Brittany's words that made her realise that perhaps they were no longer talking simply about their impromptu race only a few moments before…

"Well it's a good thing I did that too," Santana answered on point.

"You did." Brittany nodded, "Fourteen years ago."

Santana smiled proudly up at Brittany; she loved it when Brittany made out like Santana's gift of imprinting on her was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

But eventually the niggling curiosity in the back of her head won out...

"And it's not like I don't love this place for that very reason… but why are we here babe?" Santana asked.

"Because it's our anniversary!" Brittany revealed excitedly.

Santana's eyebrow quirked at that as a smile teased at the corner of her mouth.

"I thought our anniversary was yesterday," Santana reminded her, amused. They had celebrated yesterday and long into the night after all.

"No _silly_- that was the anniversary of the day I realised that no one would ever love me as much as you do," Brittany chastised playfully.

"My mistake," Santana played along with a delighted smirk. "And so what's today's anniversary for then?"

"To remember the day I realised you were the best girlfriend in the whole wide world," Brittany laid on thick, biting her lip seductively.

"Oh really?" Santana hummed back, still amused by the way everything was panning out. "But I thought that was last week."

That caught Brittany off guard as her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened with a blush, beginning to second-guess herself as she realised she'd been caught out.

Then she began to smile sheepishly as she toyed with a strand of Santana's hair.

"Alright I have a confession to make- I don't really know what day our anniversary is…" Brittany admitted shyly.

Santana chuckled heartily at that and Brittany must've thought she was making fun of her with the way she seemed to cringe at the sound.

"Me neither," Santana agreed tenderly, easing Brittany's worry instantly. "But lucky for me, I don't need to rely on a calendar to tell me what days I should love you the most- not when every day I get to spend with you makes me happier than the last."

From the look on Brittany's face it was pretty obvious she approved of everything Santana had just said.

"You are such a sap sometimes Santana Lopez," Brittany accused adoringly.

Santana smiled cheesily up at her.

"All for you baby," Santana crooned making Brittany begin giggling madly.

Santana could only stop Brittany's laughter by grabbing her cheeks and guiding their mouths back together.

Brittany quickly started to get lost in the soft caress of Santana's tongue- especially when Santana started doing that wiggly thing she really liked- but before she could completely forget where she was Brittany pulled back, gasping for breath and trying with all her might to keep her bearings.

"Britt, what's wrong?" Santana asked in concern with wide, startled eyes at the blonde's unexpected retreat.

"No- but, I wanted today to be an anniversary," Brittany insisted as she scrambled to her knees and climbed off of Santana as though suddenly remembering something very important.

Santana sat up, still watching Brittany with concern as seemed to become flustered all of a sudden.

"Okay, so it can be an anniversary," Santana rushed to agree, just wanting to soothe her. "You pick any reason and we'll celebrate."

"Not just any reason Santana," Brittany hushed her in determination, "**THE** reason."

Brittany helped Santana back to her feet and guided her back over to sit on the platform below the monkey bars.

Once Santana was seated, Brittany took a moment to eye their surroundings, making sure that everything was absolutely perfect for what she was about to do.

Santana held her tongue, watching Brittany curiously. She knew she shouldn't laugh at Brittany's odd behaviour but her mate was really making it hard for her. If Santana knew Brittany like she certainly should have after so many years together- then she knew she was right in deducing that Brittany was suddenly very nervous and decided to give Brittany the space she needed to say what she obviously felt she needed to say.

Brittany took a deep breath as the stars above started to twinkle and she realised she was running out of precious time before darkness was upon them. Releasing that breath, Brittany looked to Santana, who was sitting before her with such a supportive and patient smile that Brittany couldn't help laughing at her own silliness.

It really was like the old saying said; 'now or never'.

Well perhaps not 'never', but Brittany couldn't find any good reason why the 'now' couldn't be, well- **now**.

Smiling excitedly at Santana, Brittany held her hands out in front of her so Santana could watch as she slowly reached with her left hand to pluck the elegant ring encircling her right index finger and gently slid it free.

It wasn't until Brittany stepped closer holding the ring and then dropped to one knee that Santana actually cottoned on to what she was doing.

"Brittany! What are you doing?" Santana gasped with wide eyes.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Brittany asked cheekily, unable to stop herself from grinning.

"Wait- no!" Santana hunkered forward shaking her head.

"No?"

The grin that was plastered across Brittany's face fell instantly.

Panic seized at Santana with Brittany's reaction and she rushed closer until she was kneeling in the dirt in front of Brittany. One hand closed around Brittany's- the one squeezing the ring in her palm- and the other cupped Brittany's cheek, stoking it with her thumb. She made sure Brittany was looking her in the eye.

"I mean yes- _of course..._" Santana insisted seriously, her eyes flicking between Brittany's to make sure she understood how serious she was being.

Brittany's lips quirked wanting to smile again… but there was something in Santana's tone that wouldn't quite let her feel relieved just yet; it sounded like there was a 'but'.

"_But_…?" Brittany prompted knowingly.

Santana smiled warmly at her- Brittany knew her too well.

"But we're still so young- **you're** so young," Santana explained, stroking Brittany's cheek harder and smiling at her with such an earnest look of unconditional love.

Brittany blushed under the intensity of that look.

"You're the same age as me," She mumbled sourly.

Santana gave her a look that said 'you know that's not what I meant'.

"I know we're very much in love right now. And I will never stop loving you…" Santana began carefully, searching for the right words.

However, her words only made Brittany frown at what Santana was suggesting;

"And I will?" Brittany questioned defensively, sounding very offended.

Santana winced at that, knowing what she had just said had sounded bad, but there really was no easy way for her to explain the possibility of what could still transpire between them. Even if such a change was the furthest thing from what she would want for them.

"You know that the imprint is constantly evolving, right?" Santana reminded her and Brittany nodded her agreement and understanding. "People change and relationships change every day. And you and I are the same…"

Santana hesitated, seeming to struggle over her next words;

"And you… you may still… meet _someone_ who changes the way you feel about me…"

Brittany shook her head emphatically as she covered their already clasped hands with her other one and squeezed hard.

"There is no one else for me," Brittany insisted. "You're it. You've always been it."

Santana's loving smile never faltered.

"I know you mean that now. I know you do," Santana reassured her. "And I know you love me just as much as I love you, but-

"No." Brittany cut in firmly. "No '**but'**."

"Britt-" Santana warned cautiously. "You have to listen to reason-"

"No, Santana I don't," Brittany argued stubbornly. "I don't need to hear any reasons but my own. And you should too."

Santana bit harshly at her lip; a clear indicator that she was sincerely struggling to disagree with Brittany; it was against her very nature.

"I can't believe you still doubt my love for you," Brittany remarked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"No Britt, I don't… I'm just saying that-"

"Well don't. There's nothing more that needs to be said. I love you and you love me. That's it."

"That's it?" Santana asked with a quirky smile. Hers and Brittany's relationship was a complex phenomenon and yet Brittany could make it sound as simple as sharing a smile.

Brittany nodded knowing something of what she was saying was getting through to Santana, but then she seemed to get confused and started shaking her head instead.

"Wait- no, that wasn't my reason," Brittany announced with a frown.

"Oh?" Santana mirrored her expression.

"I mean it _is_… but I had something else I needed to say," Brittany explained, now looking flustered that things weren't quite going as she had planned.

"It's okay Britt," Santana tried to ease her worry, "I'm not going anywhere."

That was the point that Santana was trying to make clear after all- that there was no need to rush into anything; she would always love Brittany in whatever capacity Brittany needed, that's what the imprint promised. It was a promise that she would always be there.

And as much as the idea that Brittany wanted to make it "official" as far as the rest of the world was concerned absolutely thrilled Santana to the core, she didn't want to lock Brittany into something that she may regret later in life.

Of course there was also that lingering doubt that she could be that lucky- that Brittany could want her and only her for the rest of her life. It was such a perfect storybook ending that she didn't want to put too much faith in it in case it was ripped away from her.

"You're my soul mate Santana," Brittany urged passionately. "People spend their whole life searching and never find that missing piece of them self."

Santana nodded along with her, knowing where this was leading.

"You're my missing piece- except you haven't been missing at all, since long before I could remember, so I've been **whole** this entire time and happy because I've had you. And I know we haven't always been lovers… but we have always been **in love**. I know you believe that as much as I do," Brittany told her sincerely.

Santana listened carefully, feeling like she was in danger of falling even deeper in love with Brittany with every word she spoke. As if that could ever be a bad thing-

"And people don't get second chances with a love like ours- I learned that the hard way when I thought I'd lost you, that time with the full moon," Brittany went on to explain, her voice cracking with suppressed emotion.

Santana reached up to the back of Brittany's head so she could pull her closer and press a kiss to Brittany's temple. Santana knew better than anyone how hard that time had been on Brittany. But their connection had become so much stronger because of it.

"But we did get a second chance," Santana reminded her gently. Everything had turned out okay.

"I know!" Brittany nodded, quickly brushing away a stray tear. "No one gets that lucky! Not ever, Santana."

Brittany's enthusiasm was causing her to get emotionally worked up. She pulled back a bit so she could look at Santana and make her understand.

"I'm not going to wait around to test my luck again," Brittany promised her.

Santana could only chuckle kindly, finding Brittany's worry endearing; "But I'm not going anywhere."

"So why can't you be my wife while you're 'not going anywhere'?" Brittany persisted.

Heat blossomed in Santana's cheeks when Brittany phrased it like that and she had to avert her eyes, less Brittany see how badly she wanted to accept.

Brittany didn't let her get away that easily though and she ducked her head trying to stay in her eye line. The grin that spread across her face showed that she knew how very close she was to getting Santana to give in.

Santana could never really say no to her.

"Santana," Brittany pushed. "Wear my ring and be my mate for life."

Brittany gently took a hold of Santana's left hand in one of her own as she tried encouraging her to accept the ring being offered in her other.

"Brittany-" an unsure Santana resisted with a clenched fist.

"We don't have to get married straight away," Brittany pointed out. "And hell, it's not even legal for us here yet... but I want everyone to know that you're mine and I'm yours- proudly so. So what do you say?"

Santana bit her lip and naturally her eyes travelled to the ring on offer.

"But that's your grandmother's ring," Santana objected knowing how special Brittany's grandmother had been to her. "She left it to you."

"And I can think of no better way to keep it safe than to give it to the woman I love," Brittany answered easily.

Santana continued to hesitate, but it was getting harder when it was becoming increasingly clearer that they both wanted the same thing and Santana was once again only resisting out of pride (and a little fear) under the premise of 'doing what was right for Brittany'.

"Stop thinking about me for once in your life and do what **you** want to do," Brittany encouraged, barely louder than a whisper. "And you know Nanna loved you too; she'd approve of this."

Santana sniffed and nodded as tears began to well in her eyes.

"Is that a yes?" Brittany pressed excitedly, brandishing the ring at the ready.

Santana laughed through a happy sob as she started nodding and uncurled her fingers to finally let Brittany do as she wished.

"Yes?" Brittany asked again, just to be sure.

"Yes, yes!" Santana agreed, laughing louder now as she began to allow herself to wholeheartedly feed off Brittany's joy.

So Brittany wasted no more time, sliding the ring into place upon Santana's finger.

* * *

_Santana couldn't sleep._

_And it wasn't a matter of bad dreams, or over-thinking or even an upset stomach-_

_It was just that Brittany wasn't beside her and it really was as simple as that. _

_Lying upstairs in her big bed that she had always shared with Brittany, Santana had never felt so out of sorts._

_Once Brittany had left for her sleepover (and after a great deal more sulking), Santana had finally come to terms with the fact that Brittany wouldn't be back until the following morning and she'd gone about keeping herself busy so she'd be too distracted to even notice that Brittany wasn't there._

_But dinner didn't taste as good as it usually did even though it was her favourite dish. And her mother had given her an extra serving of peas thinking that would cheer her up- which of course didn't because Brittany wasn't around to eat them all for her and she had to do so all on her own despite her abhorrence to them. Even the dessert she'd earned for clearing her plate wasn't as sticky or as sweet as it would have been if Brittany was beside her and making her laugh with the treat somehow all over her fingers. _

_Then there was absolutely nothing worth watching on TV and nothing in hers and Brittany's favourite movie collection seemed anywhere near as appealing as when Brittany would pluck something from the pile and explain why it is a good idea to watch that one first. Cartoons weren't fun without Brittany… comedies weren't funny without Brittany… and horrors- well they were still just as scary but without Brittany getting scared next to her Santana couldn't even pretend that she wasn't just to reassure Brittany. _

_In the end Santana had retired to bed early, in hope of merely falling asleep to escape her Brittany-less existence. _

_But falling asleep without Brittany beside her was proving to be no easy task. It was why even hours after crawling into bed that she was still wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. Her bed was that much colder without Brittany to cuddle into and even though Brittany's scent still lingered on the pillows and covers it only made Santana miss her that much more. _

_And then there was the whole matter of being alone in the dark. And while Santana had never considered herself to be very afraid of the dark, the longer she lay there unable to think about anything other than how alone she felt without Brittany… the longer those creepy dark shadows had grown._

_The noise of the household had offered a little reassurance at first; hearing her parents ambling around downstairs and the sounds of her brother's noisy video games from down the hall- but eventually everyone else had gone to sleep and the noise of the house had fallen into an eerie silence. Santana found herself jumping at every mysterious creak and groan and before long her imagination was running wild and envisioning the worst._

_She was really regretting watching that scary movie before bed now._

_The sound of the front door creaking open and then closing again made Santana sit up stock-still as her heart started hammering in her chest. It was the middle of the night and everyone from her family were already tucked in their beds._

_She was sure she'd confused the sound when unmistakable footfall followed and the sound of someone steadily making their way around her house carried to her alert ears._

_Too terrified to move, Santana strained to listen, growing more and more terrified as she realised the footsteps weren't of someone who was wandering around aimlessly- but someone who knew where they were going. Steadily the intruder made their way upstairs, closer and closer to Santana with every step until the floorboards outside of Santana's bedroom were creaking. _

_Santana wanted to yell out for help but she couldn't find her voice- and besides she didn't really want to draw attention to herself, hoping the footsteps would bypass her room and carry on down the hall. Not that she wanted them headed for an unaware Tommy either- _

_The wiggle of her doorknob caused Santana to dive under her covers- now absolutely petrified; clearly the intruder knew she was awake and coming straight for her. _

_Again her voice failed her as whoever it was seemed to hesitate at the edge of her bed- drawing out her final moments before her demise- though she did release the tiniest of squeaks when her bed moved under the weight of the intruder. _

_"San? Are you awake?"_

_Brittany's sweet, melodious voice cut through Santana's terror and Santana scrambled to fling the covers from over her head, immediately finding herself bombarded with Brittany's familiar scent as it warmed her insides and made her instantly feel safe again. She didn't even recall making the decision to move even a muscle before she'd tackled Brittany to the bed and tucked her face into Brittany's neck. She was still trembling from the rush of emotions as she wrapped her arms around Brittany and held on tight._

_ Brittany hugged her back just as tightly. _

_"San, why are you shaking?" Brittany sounded worried._

_"You scared me!" Santana accused even though she was so incredibly relieved to have Brittany back where she could see her and feel her. _

_"I'm sorry, I was trying not to wake you," Brittany apologised. _

_"What are you even doing here?" Santana asked, confused. She raised her head to squint at Brittany in the dark, though she continued to hug the girl she was now slumped half on top of, holding onto her like Brittany was going to suddenly disappear on her again at any minute. _

_Brittany averted her eyes and answered in a small, sheepish voice; "I missed you too much. Mr Berry 1 dropped me home." _

_Santana wanted to grin and smugly deliver an 'I told you so', but she couldn't – not after hearing that admission and knowing she wasn't the only one of them who'd felt so hopeless without the other. And especially not when she knew that Brittany's comment about coming 'home' wasn't in reference to the roof over their heads. _

_Santana smiled and dropped her head back to Brittany's shoulder, nestling further into her warmth._

_"I missed you too."_

_fin._


End file.
